Page 23 of A Dead Man's Pulse
He hadn’t realized that’s what he’d been doing until Roxy pointed it out. Inhaling deeply, he slowly let it out again.
Take one down, pass it around, seventy-four bottles of beer on the wall.
“One more. Inhale, exhale.”
After doing as he was told, he forced his muscles to relax once more, and then nodded. “I’m ready. Again.”
Although he’d been told she’d move closer in between the targetless strikes, the next crack sounded as far away as the first. This time, he remembered to keep breathing. Sweat covered his entire body, but his gaze remained on Roxy’s face. Apparently, she didn’t see anything in his expression or body language that would cause her to stop the scene, since she stayed quiet.
Realizing Charlotte was waiting for a word from him that she should continue, he said, “Again.”
The sequence was repeated until Charlotte was standing on the stage once more. Logan’s knees were quivering, and his pulse and breathing had increased as he fought the urge to run like a coward. His best friend’s voice resounded in his head. You can do this, Cowboy. Don’t let the bastards win. And whatever you do, don’t piss your fucking pants in front of the ladies. Yeah, that was definitely something Clutch would say.
A soft thump sounded behind him and then Charlotte stepped to his side so he could see her again. She no longer had the whip in her hands—instead, she held up the six-tailed flogger. Running the tails up his arm, she gently caressed him. As she dragged it around his back, the leather stayed on his skin, over his shoulders to his other arm. She then lifted the handle and the tails fell less than an inch onto his arm again. Moving to his back, she did more of the same, from his shoulders to the flesh just above the waistband of his jeans and up again. Logan was surprised to feel his eyelids grow heavy as the tempo and force of the strikes intensified. They were far from painful—he’d had insect bites that had hurt worse.
Several minutes passed, and the skin on his back tingled with the increased blood flow. His body glowed with perspiration, but he was more relaxed than he’d expected to be at this moment. Charlotte’s soothing voice floated to his ears. “All right, Cowboy. Stay in that zone. You’re in your happy place. You have all the control, but don’t move if you can prevent it. I’m going to crack the whip three times. If I think you’re good, the fourth one will hit your right shoulder blade. I’ll pause and make sure you’re still okay. It’ll hurt—Jake told you that—but reach past the pain and feel the heat. Ready?”
With Charlotte’s tone of voice, Roxy’s gentle gaze, the warm-up they’d given him, Clutch’s urging to keep it together, and Dakota on the beach, wearing a white string bikini and thong, they were keeping him grounded, despite his anxiety and fear. “Ready.”
The first loud crack sounded, and he stiffened but didn’t move. Roxy inhaled deeply and Logan followed suit, letting it out slowly.
Crack.
Logan’s jaw tightened. Happy place. Happy place. Dakota’s hands went to the string around her neck.
Crack.
Jesus Christ, this is it.
Seconds ticked by. Logan heard the crack before he felt the strike. The tip of the whip licked his shoulder blade, right where the Domme had said it would. It felt like he’d gotten stung by hundreds of bees at the same time. His fist clenched as he rose up on the balls of his feet. “Shit!”
“Breathe, Logan,” Roxy prompted. “In and out . . . that’s good . . . again. Find your happy place. The heat of the sun is on your back. That’s what you feel. It’s warm and spreading across your skin, covering your entire back. Start with your hands and relax your muscles down your arms to your torso, then legs and feet. Breathe.”
Swallowing hard, he opened his hands, willing each muscle in his body to relax one by one, until he was once again, flat on his feet. He inhaled through his nose and out his mouth, concentrating on Dakota’s bikini dropping from her breasts. Damn, they were incredible—round, firm, and begging for his attention.
“Here we go, Cowboy. Left shoulder blade. Ready?” When he only nodded, Charlotte added, “Verbal response, love. Ready?”
“Ready.”
A second or two later, the whip stroked his skin again. This time, in addition to feeling the sting of the bees, he heard them, but it sounded like their numbers had multiplied into the thousands. A hiss escaped his lips, and while he rolled forward on the balls of his feet, he immediately brought his heels back down. He didn’t need Roxy’s encouragement, breathing in and out, pushing the pain away as Dakota’s hands went to the strings holding her thong to her hips.
As the scene progressed and the whip caressed his skin over and over, his mind floated—in fact, it felt like his entire body began to float. His cock was hard as a rock, and he wasn’t sure if it was from the subspace he was achieving or because Dakota was now gloriously naked on the beach in front of him. Her sun-bronzed skin, high, perky tits, and waxed pussy were pure perfection. She held her hand out to him, beckoning him to come closer.
Cowboy.
He tried to step forward, but something was preventing him from doing so.
Cowboy.
Her tongue darted out to wet her—
“Cowboy. It’s over. Step back, love.”
It took Logan a moment to realize it hadn’t been Dakota calling his name, but Charlotte. His body and mind tingled as he released the restraints, lowering his arms. The two Dommes stood on either side of him, holding him by his upper arms and the belt loops of his pants, as Roxy said, “Sit down, Logan. The chair is right behind you. Just bend your knees and sit.”
Once he was in the chair, one of them covered him with a soft blanket, but in his mind, it was Dakota’s long hair draped over his skin, teasing him. His eyelids closed, and he let her embrace and comfort him.
Chapter Fourteen
